Art Car Seen At Charity Events Stolen From Sacramento Driveway

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A one-of-a-kind car was stolen, along with thousands of dollars of props and equipment meant for a good cause.

The trailer that held the car and the equipment was found the next day in Elverta, empty.

The items that were inside mean everything to Jim Welcho, who has spent years perfecting his creations and collections. The charity car, or the Art Car as he calls is, was the main attraction.

“Our lives were in that trailer,” Welch said of the trailer that was stolen on Halloween. “It’s very difficult to replace this stuff.”

He spent his time building and designing his most treasured creation that you’ve probably seen around. It’s not hard to miss the completely custom electric bike covered in a Model T wooden frame that’s decked out with all the bells and whistles.

The car was the focal point at many charity events, including some from Sacramento’s Make-A-Wish Foundation.

He had just completed a Halloween event and the trailer was packed with his props and creations.

Now it’s gone.

The morning after Halloween, Welch got a phone call that his hard-to-miss trailer was in Elverta. But it was empty.

The thieves didn’t just make off with $10,000 of equipment, they took a big part of Welch.

“It’s a lot of me that went into it a lot of my heart,” he said.

He’s had to cancel his upcoming events for the next couple of weeks.

The only upside, he says, is that the items are mostly one-of-a-kind, so they can be easily spotted if they’re up for sale.